Football Agents

[mellowmiller]

It's been mentioned on another thread that one reason our move for the young Swedish international striker broke down was that the agent demanded a fee of €150,000.
This may or may not be true but it does highlight once again what a blight on the game agents have become.
They have often been described as parasites and are routinely responsible for unsettling players and trying to engineer moves so that they, the agent, receive an obscene fee for their "services."
I have never understood why it is the clubs who pay the agents' fees. Surely these costs should be met by the players as technically it is they who employ the agents.
Maybe if the rules were changed then the problems created by agents would diminish considerably.

[Casper64Frank]

Not sure an agent can actually demand a fee.
Unless the rules have changed they used to get a % of the transfer fee or a % of the players basic gross income.
For some reason I have it in my mind that the agent for Will Hoskins was his mum, same for Guy Branston. If it is true then those days are long gone.

[CAMiller]

We (the fans) always look upon agents as a blight on the game because to us they represent an unnecessary expense. However, put yourself in the shoes (or boots) of the players and consider why they might employ an agent. When you do that you might see the picture in a different light. It's no different to other occupations, I work in one where my agent, or agents in some cases as I have to go through a couple to get to the end client, are taking as much as 50% of the hourly fee for simply having the right contacts, providing some equipment and doing payroll/federal taxes etc.

[mikemiller]

Paul Scholes (of Manchester United and England) never had an agent, and like many of us, if he was offered a new contract, he checked it out through his union , in his case the PFA. Nothing could be simpler. Just thinking of what happened to e.g. Steve Alabi and Will Hoskins, and f, instead of listening to agents, i they had stuck with the Milllers... (what a waste of talent)

[mellowmiller]

We (the fans) always look upon agents as a blight on the game because to us they represent an unnecessary expense. However, put yourself in the shoes (or boots) of the players and consider why they might employ an agent. When you do that you might see the picture in a different light. It's no different to other occupations, I work in one where my agent, or agents in some cases as I have to go through a couple to get to the end client, are taking as much as 50% of the hourly fee for simply having the right contacts, providing some equipment and doing payroll/federal taxes etc.

CAM, to some extent that's my point. If the players feel it necessary to employ an agent then why is it that the clubs pay the agent for their services (which, as mikemiller points out are available through other sources anyway).
If I employ someone I would expect to have to pay them and wouldn't expect one of my clients to voluntarily pick up the bill for me.
I just wonder how this crazy situation has been allowed to arise and think there would be a lot fewer problems with disruptive agents if the payment had to come from the players who employ them.

[Ericsladkilnhurst]

It's been mentioned on another thread that one reason our move for the young Swedish international striker broke down was that the agent demanded a fee of €150,000.
This may or may not be true but it does highlight once again what a blight on the game agents have become.
They have often been described as parasites and are routinely responsible for unsettling players and trying to engineer moves so that they, the agent, receive an obscene fee for their "services."
I have never understood why it is the clubs who pay the agents' fees. Surely these costs should be met by the players as technically it is they who employ the agents.
Maybe if the rules were changed then the problems created by agents would diminish considerably.

A footballer also pays his agent on the money he / she earns, either by a agreed fixed fee or by percentage usually between 10% & 20% of any money earned by that player.
A agent also negotiates on various sponsorship & promotional contracts with other bodies, getting his cut again from the money earned by the player.
So the agent gets a fee from football clubs when pushing through a transfer, plus money off a players earnings.

[CAMiller]

CAM, to some extent that's my point. If the players feel it necessary to employ an agent then why is it that the clubs pay the agent for their services (which, as mikemiller points out are available through other sources anyway).
If I employ someone I would expect to have to pay them and wouldn't expect one of my clients to voluntarily pick up the bill for me.
I just wonder how this crazy situation has been allowed to arise and think there would be a lot fewer problems with disruptive agents if the payment had to come from the players who employ them.

Agreed. I thought I'd read somewhere that TS/RUFC refuse to pay agent fees and if that is correct then well done to them. One of the other problems in football that makes the situation worse is the concept of the transfer fee and the fact that agents get a percentage of that because it creates a market for moving players around for profit whilst under contract. Do away with that like in other sports e.g. trades rather than transfers, we'll give you players A and B for player C etc.

[CAMiller]

Just as bad if not worse in the NFL. One player, just drafted from university has refused (probably on the advice of his agent and egged on by his mother) to show up to pre-season practice/games for San Diego over the amount of his $17M signing on bonus they will pay him up front. As a consequence they have withdrawn their offer to him. Will serve him right if he never plays a game in the NFL and teams should make an example but I bet they won't and he'll end up somewhere/getting what he wants

[mellowmiller]

I bet they won't either.
He'll make some kind of pre-scripted apology and the "misunderstanding" will be suitably resolved.
This is what happens when the lunatics are allowed to run the asylum (probably not a very PC comment but hey ho!).